'Remember your dad and fight; Ravindra Jadeja told Siraj': How India pacer took on the world and emerged on top

The size of Mohammed Siraj's heart (not literally, of course) became a huge topic of discussion as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy reached its climax. Siraj was the only bowler to play all five Tests of the series and return unscathed - Chris Woakes was the other one to be included in the XI in all five Tests but he got badly injured in the first innings at The Oval. India's Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj(PTI)

Siraj bowled 185.3 overs across five Tests, the most, for 23 wickets, also the most. What stood out was the way he ran in and clocked speeds of 140 km/h towards the end of Day 4 and the start of Day 5 -- the last two days of the gruelling Test series. Siraj's aggressive bowl, coupled with exceptional control and swing, stifled England as they collapsed in the 374-run chase. India registered their narrowest Test by six runs to level the series 2-2.

The first-ever Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was shared between Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill. Most would agree that this was a fitting outcome after players from both India and England gave it their all—Siraj just a little bit more than the others. And it was not just at The Oval; it was the same at Birmingham, Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and pretty much everywhere Siraj has played in his 41-Test career.

"To be honest, body is fine right now, because it's almost 187 (185.3) hours in this series, but you play for the country, you give everything. I don't think too much. You bowl your sixth over, you bowl your ninth over, I don't care. I believe in myself, you bowl every ball for the country, not for myself, play for the country, you give it everything," Siraj said in the post-match press conference after finishing with 5 for 104 in England's second innings.

And it's not like Siraj was just giving it his all with the ball, his primary skill. When needed, he even put up a fight with the bat. If the ball hadn't unfortunately spun back onto his stumps despite playing a solid defence on Day 5 of the Lord's Test when India needed 23 runs, the scoreline of the series would have been in India's favour.

Siraj scored a fighting 4 off 30 balls, stitching a crucial last-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja. He took body blows, dodged bouncers and tried his best to keep Jadeja company. So what kept him going? Dinesh Karthik said it was a quiet reminder from Jadeja about his dad.

While remembering his T20 World Cup final interview with Siraj that became meme material for the latter's "I only believe in Jassi bhai" statement, Karthik said the India pacer is all heart.

"That interview, poor guy, I only ended up doing. And it became a bit of meme material. I always end up doing interviews with Siraj. And I genuinely hope through my broadcasting career, I have many more interviews with him. Because he is just warm. He is funny. And he speaks straight from the heart," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

The former Indian cricketer revealed how Jadeja wanted Siraj to keep fighting for his late father, Mohammed Ghaus.

"Even today, he was speaking about the fact that when he was batting in Lord's Test, Jadeja told him, think of your dad. You know, these kinds of things will push you in this Test.

"These are emotional moments. Through this Test series, that side of certain players has also unfolded. Joe Root thanks Graham Thorpe. Siraj thinking about his dad and wanting to push. And Jadeja reminding him of that. Small moments which I feel are the beauty of Test cricket."

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